And the Black Widow has plenty of that. She may be an Avenger and an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the Widow has her own mission: to atone for her past as a KGB assassin. Her methods are dirty. Her heart is cold. But her work is flawless. On an undercover assignment in Russia, she finds that the Hand of God is reaching for her–and it’s as merciless as its name. Outmatched by the brute force of this powerful new villain, Natasha discovers a deadly globe-spanning plot. It’s a race against time, and the Widow has nowhere to turn for answers. The trail of blood and destruction will test her strength and cunning–but it may also test her faith.

COLLECTING: Black Widow 1-6, All-New Marvel Now! Point One

review :

I loved this volume! Black Widow is amazing, as per usual, and even though there was a lot going on in this volume, I really enjoyed it.

Natasha has never fully belonged anywhere. Not as a spy, not as an Avenger, and not even as an agent of SHIELD. As she’s struggling to figure out how to be “good”, and not directed by any particular organization, she’s balancing this with an attempt at normal life. Except Natasha’s number one rule is to never let anyone get close to her. Not even that cat that likes to hang out on her windowsill. It was interesting to see the kind of choices and sacrifices Nat made, either because she thinks she deserves worse or to protect the people that have accidentally gotten close to her.

I love how often this book goes into her thoughts. Not because we learn very much about her past, because she refuses to give up all of that, but because it helps to know her thought process. She’s constantly conning others, donning new identities and disguises, lying through her teeth. But when the reader gets inside of her head, she can’t quite keep up the subterfuge, and it’s interesting to see how different her thoughts are from her actions.

I picked up the next volume immediately after this one because I couldn’t wait to read more about Nat and her crazy adventures. They’re literally crazy, because you can never tell if she’s one step ahead or if her enemies are. The fight scenes are awesome. The art is beautiful. You won’t regret reading this.